This invention relates to light fixtures, and more particularly to a light fixture that has relamping and adjustment locks to maintain the angular and rotation orientation of a lamp during relamping.
Recessed light fixtures typically include a plaster frame, a can, a lamp holder, and a trim ring that encircles an opening of the can. Recessed light fixtures also may be designed with adjustment features such as a partially closable trim ring and a pivot mechanism to direct the light beam from the enclosed lamp to illuminate a specific area within a room. A light fixture may have the adjustment features set at installation and then may be recessed by mounting the fixture in a ceiling or a wall. Adjustment and maintenance of the recessed light fixture, however, may require access to the light fixture through the ceiling or the wall after it is installed, which can be troublesome and time consuming.
In one general aspect, a light fixture includes a fixture assembly, a rotation adjustment assembly, and an angle adjustment assembly. The rotation adjustment assembly is configured to receive a lamp, orient the lamp relative to the fixture assembly, and maintain the orientation of the lamp relative to the fixture assembly when the lamp is removed and replaced. The angle adjustment assembly is movably connected to the fixture assembly and is configured to adjust the angle between the fixture assembly and the rotation adjustment assembly.
Implementations of the adjustable light fixture may include one or more of the following features. For example, the rotation adjustment assembly may include a lamp frame, a rotation disc that is rotatably mounted to the lamp frame, and a rotation frame that receives the lamp and is mounted to the rotation disc. One or more clips may be used to fixedly attach the rotation disc to the lamp frame. One or more screws may be threadably inserted into threaded openings in the rotation disc, and may be further received in openings in the rotation frame.
The screws include a first portion having a first screw diameter and a second portion having a larger screw diameter. The openings in the rotation frame may include a first portion having a first opening diameter and a second portion having a second, smaller opening diameter. In this implementation, the second screw diameter is smaller than the first opening diameter in the opening and larger than the second opening diameter in the opening, such that the screw retains the rotation disc to the rotation frame when the screw is positioned in the second portion of the opening.
Clips may be mounted to the rotation adjustment assembly to removably retain a lamp to the rotation adjustment assembly. The clips also may be mounted to the rotation frame.
The rotation frame may include an opening having one or more sets of notches configured to mate with protruding tabs on a lamp.
The angle adjustment assembly may include a fastener and one or more downwardly projecting arms. The downwardly projecting arms rotatably connect to one or more arms extending from the fixture assembly. The fastener fixes the position of one of the downwardly projecting arms relative to the mating arm that extends from the fixture. The downwardly projecting arms may be connected to the rotation adjustment assembly. One or more of the arms extending from the fixture assembly may include an arc portion having at least one slot and one or more of the downwardly projecting arms may include extending members that mate with the slot. When the downwardly projecting arms are moved relative to the arms extending from the fixture assembly, the extending members slidably move within the slots to set an angle of the arms relative to the downwardly projecting arms.
The fastener may be configured to fix the position of an arm extending from the fixture assembly relative to a downwardly projecting arm.
The adjustable light fixture also may have a lens mounting assembly with a lens that is removably mounted to the rotation adjustment assembly. The lens mounting assembly is configured to maintain a constant angular relationship between a lamp mounted in the rotation adjustment assembly and the lens. The lens mounting assembly also is configured such that it can be removed and replaced without affecting the angular relationship between the lamp and the lens.
The lens mounting assembly also may include a lens holder and one or more lens clips. The lens holder retains the lens and includes one or more mounting members. The lens clips mate with the mounting members to retain the lens holder. The lens clips may be mounted to the rotation adjustment assembly and the mounting members may be notches in the lens holder.
The lens holder may be configured to maintain a constant orientation between the lens and the lamp. This feature allows the lens mounting assembly to be removed and replaced without affecting the orientation between the lens and the lamp. One or more clips may be used to fixedly attach the lens to the lens holder.
The lens may have one or more ribbed surfaces and the lens mounting assembly may maintain a constant orientational relationship between the ribbed surface of the lens and the lamp. Moreover, the lens mounting assembly may be removed and replaced without affecting the orientation between the ribbed surface of the lens and the lamp.
In another general aspect, an adjustable light fixture may be relamped by removing a lamp from a rotation adjustment assembly and reinstalling a lamp in the rotation adjustment assembly. The light fixture may include one or more of the features described above. The light fixture also may include one or more of the following features. For example, the rotation adjustment assembly may be configured to receive a lamp, orient the lamp relative to the fixture assembly, and maintain the orientation of the lamp relative to the fixture assembly when the lamp is removed and replaced. The angle adjustment assembly may be moveably connected to the fixture assembly and adjustable to set an angle between the fixture assembly and the rotation adjustment assembly, and may be configured to be adjusted to set an angle between the fixture assembly and the rotation adjustment assembly.
Removing the lamp may include removing the lamp from above the rotation adjustment assembly by loosening screws attaching a rotation frame to a rotation disc and lifting the rotation frame and the lamp away from the angle adjustment assembly. Reinstalling the lamp may include reinstalling the lamp from above the rotation adjustment assembly by aligning the rotation frame holding the lamp with the rotation disc and tightening the screws to attach the rotation frame and the lamp to the rotation disc.
Removing the lamp may include removing the lamp from below the rotation adjustment assembly by pulling the lamp from clips attaching the lamp to the rotation adjustment assembly. Reinstalling the lamp may include reinstalling the lamp from below the rotation adjustment assembly by pushing the lamp into the clips attaching the lamp to the rotation adjustment assembly.
The relamping may further include removing a lens mounting assembly prior to removing the lamp and reinstalling the lens mounting assembly after reinstalling a lamp. The method also may include adjusting a rotational orientation of the lamp relative to the fixture assembly by adjusting the rotation adjustment assembly. Adjusting the rotation adjustment assembly may include mounting the rotation frame to the rotation disc, rotating the rotation disc relative to the lamp frame until a desired rotational orientation is attained, and attaching one or more clips to the rotation disc to fixedly attach the rotation disc to the lamp frame at the desired rotational orientation.
A lamp may be mounted to the rotation frame by inserting the lamp between the clips to retain the lamp with notches of the rotation frame mated with protruding tabs on the lamp. The lamp may be removed from below the light fixture by removing the lamp from the clips.
The lamp may be removed from above the light fixture, such as, for example, from a position above the light fixture in the ceiling plenum. Removing the lamp from above the adjustable light fixture includes rotating the rotation frame relative to the rotation disc until screws in the rotation disc are positioned in the first portion of the openings in the rotation frame, lifting the rotation frame, and removing the lamp from the clips holding the lamp to the rotation frame.
The angle adjustment assembly may be adjusted to set an angle between the fixture assembly and the rotation adjustment assembly. Adjusting the angle adjustment assembly includes moving downwardly projecting arms relative to arms extending from the fixture assembly, slidably moving an extending member within a slot to set an angle of the arm relative to the downwardly projecting arm to set an angle between the fixture assembly and the rotation adjustment assembly, and using a fastener to fix the position of the projecting arm.
The adjustable light fixture is adjustable for a wide range of applications by adjustment of the angular or rotational orientation. After the fixture is fixed in a particular orientation, the fixture may be relamped without changing either the angular or rotational orientation. Relamping may be accomplished by access to the fixture from above the ceiling, such as, for example, in the ceiling plenum, or from below the fixture. These characteristics provide considerable advantage to the recessed light fixture. For example, after a desired illumination configuration has been set between the lamp and the lens by adjusting their angular and rotational orientations, there are great time-savings achieved if the lamp can be easily and quickly replaced without altering the illumination configuration. This light fixture is configured to provide such a relamping.
The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.